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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E (No Model.)

e. A. ONOKEN. VENEER AND BOARD CUTTING MACHINE.

I No. 437,039.

Patented Sept. 23, 1890.

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V G.A,0N0KEN. VENEER AND BOARD CUTTING MACHINE. No. 437,039.. Patented Sept. 23, 1890.

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. MZIZE55B5. I fnlfenzor W MMWM Ulm km I By W v I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV ADOLPH ONOKEN, OF FRANKENTHAL, GERMANY.

VENEER AND BOARD CUTTING MACHINE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,039, dated September 23, 1890- pp catio fi d Ap 6, 1890- Serial No. 349,649. (No model.) Patented in Germany February 10, 1888, No. 45,052; in Belgium November 22, 1889,1Io. 88,559, and in France November 23, 1889, No. 202,158.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV ADOLPH ONOK- EN, a citizen of the United States of America, temporarily residing at Frankent-hal, in the Kingdom of Bavaria and German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Veneer and Board Cutting Machines, (for which I have secured Letters Patent in Germany, No. 45,052, dated February 10, 1888; in France, No. 202,153, dated November 23, 1889, and in Belgium No. 88,559, dated November 22, 1889, and additional patent, No. 89,050, dated January 2, 1890,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in veneer and board cutting machines; and the objects of my said improvements are, first, to provide means for obtaining under all circumstances veneers and boards of uniform thickness throughout; second, to afford facilities for cutting wood of unequal constitution, and, third, to reduce the friction or resistance which the presser-bar meets with from the invention embodied therein.

cutting-surface of the wood. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a portion of the knife-carrying frame and illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a slightly-modified form. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the Presser-bar, constructed as shown in Fig. 1, while Fig. 4 is a similar view with like relation to Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a top plan View of the presser-bar after another modified form. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional View of aportion of the knife-carrying frame with this form of Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional View of the presser-bar last referred to.

Similar letters refer to similarparts throughout the several views.

It is an often-observed fact that in veneercutting machines in which the veneer is out either from a rotating log or by presenting the block to the action of a reciprocating knife and presser-bar, and in which a cutting device having both the knife and the presserbar immovably attached to the knife-frame is employed, the board or veneer cut from the block will not under all circumstances keep a uniform thickness corresponding with the distance of the knife-edge from the actual guiding-edge of the presser-bar. This is due to the circumstance that although the initial cut of the knife will produce a slice of true thickness, during the further operation, in consequence of the wood being considerably softened in a steam, alkali, or acid bath, the knife is forced to cut into progressively increased compressed wood, so that the slice commenced to be cut from the log will be finally prevented to pass between the knife and thepresser-bar. having in spite thereof passed the space between the knife-edge and presser-bar will extend according to the increasing pressure of the progressively-advancing presser-bar, and therefore they become proportionately thicker. This of course will require a considerable loss of power. All parts of the machinery sufier thereunder and most of the destructions of the knives are caused by these circumstances. To overcome this inconvenience, I construct the presser-bar h in such a manner that it may yield within certain limits, determined by the hardness of the wood and the distance from the cutting-edge of the knife.

In carrying out my invention I construct the presser-bar h of a considerable number of small parts h each of which to be attached separately to the slide it by means of bolts 4" and a layer of elastic material s-such as india-rubberis placed behind all parts h of the resser-bar, Fig. 1, so that each part may yield independently from the other under the pressure and according to the varying resistance of the wood at different points of the cutting-edge of the knife. This construction of the presser-bar is particularly applicable in cutting wood of unequal constitution-ms, for instance, knotty or branchy wood.

Instead of using alayer of elastic materialsuch as india-rubberto be placed throughout behind all the parts h of the flexible presser-bar, as above mentioned,I sometimes prefer to connect rigidly each part h of the presser-bar to an elasticallyyielding bolt or piston T, which is actuated by a helical The slice of the wood spring r or by compressed air or other elastic means. These bolts or pistons r are truly fitted to corresponding holes 7 of a separate bar 2, which is rigidly secured by the screwbolts 7 to the fixed or movable slide h of the knife-frame, and the coiled springs r or other elastic means are received within the annular space left in the holes 1 by the pins r extending through the bottom of the holes TX, so that the springs 0' will bear against the shoulder of the pistons r and the bottom 9' of the piston-holes 7. As the end of each pin r extending beyond the bottom 7' is provided with threads upon which is screwed a suitable n ut W, the tension of each spring maybe conveniently regulated and also each part h of the presserbar easily adjusted in such a manner that the pressing-edges of the same, just behind the cutting-edge of the knife, will form a straight line throughout, Fig. 9.

This deviceis particularly applicable where it is desired to secure an absolutely-parallel yielding motion of each part of the presserbar in relation to the cutting-edge of the knife, as for this reason a certain space must be left between the parts W of the presser-bar and the bar .2 on top of each part h is fastened a plate rfloverlapping the said space, and so protect the same from being 00- cupied by chips or dirt of any kind.

In order to reduce the resistance caused by the friction between the wood and the presserbar, thesingle parts h of the latter may beprovided atthat edge which bearsagainst the wood with smallanti-friction rollers h in such a manner that only a small part of their periphery will project beyond the presser-bar, Fig. 6. These rollers have to be arranged, respectivel y, the knife adjusted in such a 'manner that a plane thought to belaid at right angles from the cutting-line or the cutting-edge of the knife will exactly meet the axes of the antifriction rollers, so that the said rollers will receive the pressure caused from the resistance of the wood to be cut, in order to discharge the knife entirely from lateral pressure of the wood. These rollers may be divided themselvesin the single parts h of the presser-bar, or one flexible roller may be used simultaneously for two or more separate parts of the presser-bar without departing from the nature of my invention.

I am aware that prior to my said invention flexible presser-bars have been used in veneercutting machines, and that rollers have been applied in combination with stationary presser-bars. I therefore do not claim such combination, broadly; but

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As an improveinentin wood-working machin cry for cutting boards and veneers from a block of wood, the combination,with the knifeframe carrying aknife, of the presser-barcomposed of a series of independent sections, the bolts secured to said sections, the rigid bars to which said bolts are connected, and the elastic or spring pressure between said rigid bars and sections forcing the latter outwardly, as set forth.

2. As an improvement in wood-working machinery for cutting boards and veneers from a block of wood, the combination,with the knifeframe carrying a knife, of the presser-bar composed of a series of independent sections, the bolts or pistons secured to said sections, the rigid bars, to which said bolts are connected, and the elastic or spring pressure in said bar forcing outwardly on said bolts and sections, as set forth.

3. The combination,with the rigid bar z,having holes or openings, of the presser-bar composed of a series of independent sections, the bolts or pistons secured to said sections and extended through said l1oles,and the springs located therein and bearing outwardly on said bolts and sections, as set forth.

4. The combination,with the rigid bar 2, having holes or openings, of the presser-bar composed of a series of independent sections, the bolts or pistons secured to said sections and extended through said holes, the springs located therein and bearing outwardly on said bolts and sections, and the plate 0", secured to the upper ends of said sections and pro j ectedover the forward edge of said bar 2, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 11th day of March, 1890.

GUSTAV ADOLPI'I ONCKEN.

Witnesses:

GRETA HAAS, ROBERT GROPP. 

